Fly Babies

We fly so often that I sometimes forget that it's not "normal" to take your twins on an airplane - on a regular basis, anyway.  I'll be talking to a friend in general who asks, "What are you doing this weekend?" and I'll say, "We're going to Michigan to visit the grandparents."  If the person is a new friend - or unaware of our flight benefits - the person says,

"You're driving?!"  The drive from our home to our parents' homes is about 14 hours.

"No, we're flying," I say.

"You're FLYING!?" the new, or forgetful, friend repeats in disbelief. 

This is where it gets a little awkward.  I, of course, think we're perfectly normal to do this.  What sane person would drive 14 hours if they could fly 1.5?  But I also don't want to launch into detailed description of our flight benefits, so I try to say something general like, "Yeah, we can do it because of Hubs' work,"

Then, of course, the person says, "Oh, he's a pilot?!"  Because wouldn't that be something?

"No, he's not," I say and try to ask the person what SHE'S doing this weekend because I'm starting to feel like some sort of weirdo!

Daddy and N share a snack on the plane

Mommy and M sat right behind them

However, when we fly, I think of you, my readers, who ask me sometimes, "How do you do it?"  So when I remember (and my hair looks good) I snap a few shots to show you.  On our last trip to MI, we got seats behind each other.  M and I were together in the back row behind Daddy and N.  This arrangement is not my favorite, because we have to carry the carseats to the back of the plane, carry the boys and purses and backpacks, trying not to hit anyone all the way (if we aren't the first to board).

I like it best when we're in the bulkhead, the first row behind first class.  The plane we fly to MI is small enough that there is no first class and we get 1A-1D sometimes.  That's the best because it's the easiest to install the carseats.  And the guys get to wave and say, "Hi!" to everyone as they board.  And I get to talk to the flight attendants who are very helpful with spillage problems and tell me stories about how her daughters are only 11 months apart, so it's like she had twins.  (I disagree, but that's a different blog for a different day.)

The guys watch our luggage being loaded onto the plane

Mommy and N walk the jetbridge together

I wish I could take a picture of us going through the security checkpoint at MSP.  We are quite a scene, unloading two carseats, a backpack and its liquid contents (you can fly with full sippy cups - you just have to declare them and they'll screen them, but check to make sure they put the lid on right or you'll have aforementioned spillage), a purse, our shoes, the boys' shoes (mental note-wear pj's home), and the two umbrella strollers - that takes up the ENTIRE belt.  As we each were picking up a baby to go through the magnetometer, a man said to us, "That was really something to see!  I have one two-and-a-half-year old. That was impressive!"  We laughed and thanked him- we had no idea we were being watched so closely!

These are our fly babies.  I guess our fly toddlers.  I can't deny it anymore, especially when I see that last pic.  He looks like such a big boy, walking the jetbridge with his backpack! 

We're just a normal family that flies.